Let’s start with a round of gratitude — and possibly applause — for Kevin Krim, who wasn’t just our eyes and ears at Upfronts 2025, but also our unofficial cultural anthropologist, hype translator, and chaos cartographer. While the rest of us monitored livestreams and press kits from the safety of our desks, Kevin plunged into the theatrical marketing inferno that is modern Upfronts: three days, six venues, thousands of handshakes, and more “bespoke audience integrations” than any one man should have to endure.

Kevin is, of course, the CEO of EDO — the company that actually measures whether any of this razzle-dazzle converts into real-world action (like, say, clicking, shopping, booking that White Lotus suite, or impulse-buying Parker Posey’s caftan). But for this moment in May, he became ADOTAT’s honorary special correspondent, fighting his way through confetti, NFL mascots, brand activation booths, and rogue Jedi cosplayers so you wouldn’t have to.

Was it worth it? Absolutely. If for no other reason than the sight of Roger Goodell in a full Santa Claus outfit announcing Netflix’s Christmas Day NFL games like he’d just been cast in a holiday special titled The Grinch Who Monetized Q4.

So buckle— wait, we don’t say that here.

Let’s rewind and break it all down the only way we know how: one media spectacle at a time.

Day One kicked off with the kind of unfiltered star power that makes media buyers temporarily forget that 80% of these shows will either get delayed, canceled, or quietly buried behind a paywall by Q1.

NBCUniversal went first, choosing the hallowed halls of Radio City Music Hall for their sermon on the gospel of Live Events. They teased 7,500 hours of live sports in the next year, flexed the return of NBA on NBC like it was 1996 again, and even brought back the theme song — yes, THAT one. The pièce de résistance? A surprise video message from Michael Jordan, who, in a moment of surreal nostalgia, declared he’d be returning as a commentator. (No, we’re not kidding. Yes, we had to replay it three times to be sure.)

Meanwhile, FOX leaned hard into its contrarian DNA. Inside the Hammerstein Ballroom, they doubled down on Tubi’s explosive growth — because when in doubt, shout "FAST" enough times and it starts sounding like a strategy. Tubi, they reminded us, now reaches nearly 100 million viewers, largely thanks to Gen Z and AI targeting. Also, shoutout to Jeff Collins, who cited EDO data like it was gospel while throwing subtle shade at linear competitors. He even claimed you need 75 seconds of ads on other networks to match the impact of just 30 seconds on FOX. That’s the kind of math we like — clean, bold, and mildly threatening.

And then came Amazon, the tech giant that now does everything from shipping toilet paper to airing Fallout and Thursday Night Football. Their presentation at the Beacon Theatre was part WWE, part TED Talk, part home shopping network. They showcased new dynamic ad units that react in real time to the content on screen — including one where a T-Mobile ad literally interrupted a heartfelt onscreen phone call with… another phone call. Is it genius? Is it invasive? Honestly, yes to both. Amazon also dragged out every sports property it could legally name, layered it with AI, and called it a “full-funnel content ecosystem.” Somewhere in the mix: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, and a NASCAR driver quoting Friday Night Lights.

Conclusion: If Day 1 had a thesis, it was this — Live content isn’t just back. It’s algorithmically optimized, brand-integrated, and now comes with a musical number.

Day Two traded tech for mythology — namely, the kind that comes with ears, lightsabers, and Marvel CGI budgets.

Disney treated attendees at the Javits Center to a parade of IP so dense it could form its own cinematic gravity. The Mouse House fired on every cylinder imaginable:

It wasn’t subtle, and it wasn’t small. But it was highly effective.

Meanwhile, TelevisaUnivision did something equally ambitious but radically different: they actually spoke to the next generation of real viewers. Gen Z, microdramas, vertical video, influencer co-productions — it was a presentation designed for anyone who’s ever watched a show in portrait mode with subtitles on. And it worked. Their ViX platform is quietly becoming the place for younger, multicultural audiences, and with EDO data backing it all up, they had the receipts to prove effectiveness.

Disney may have flexed cultural ubiquity. But TelevisaUnivision reminded everyone that authenticity + audience fluency = influence. And in 2025, influence is everything.

And then there was Day Three — the media world’s answer to a runway show where the theme was “AI, but make it fashion.”

Warner Bros. Discovery announced they’re bringing back HBO Max. That’s right. We’ve gone full circle. After months of pretending “Max” was enough, they finally admitted that ditching the HBO brand was like trying to run a French bakery without saying “croissant.”

The return of the name is also the return of prestige positioning: shows like White Lotus don’t just generate buzz, they generate action. As Kevin noted, Four Seasons bookings spiked and Parker Posey’s caftan sales jumped 7x after her appearance. That’s not hype. That’s measurement. And that’s why HBO Max is no longer dead — it’s been reborn as a cultural multiplier with ROI.

Netflix, not to be outdone, announced its new Ad Suite with the help of Emily in Paris and a PowerPoint deck that practically screamed “Don’t call us a dumb pipe.” With over 94 million ad-supported subscribers now, Netflix finally brought the tech — targeting, creative optimization, attention scores, the works.

Oh, and Roger Goodell showed up in a Santa outfit to announce that Netflix will now host Christmas Day NFL games. Sure, that made sense.

Finally, YouTube took over Lincoln Center and reminded everyone they don’t just compete with TV — they are TV now. With more watch time on connected screens than any other platform, YouTube is investing in live sports (NFL), new creator sponsorship products, and cultural moment integration. It’s not about what they show — it’s about when, and with whom. And if that wasn't enough, they brought out Lady Gaga, MrBeast, Gronk, and Brittany Broski, because... why not?

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🧠 Netflix’s Ad Suite isn’t just a product—it’s a war declaration.
While everyone was busy applauding the NFL deal, Netflix launched an ad tech ecosystem designed to bulldoze your favorite DSP and quietly steal Q4 budgets from under Madison Avenue’s nose. It’s outcome-based, binge-informed, and engineered to eliminate middlemen. But the kicker? They're not talking about it. Because real power doesn’t need a PR blast.

🎭 WBD’s desperate nostalgia act, starring HBO Max (again).
Zaslav tried to bury the HBO name. Now he’s resurrecting it like a prestige zombie. What you’re not seeing in the press release? This is a full-on retreat from the Max rebrand disaster. They're banking on memory because they’ve run out of momentum. The name might be premium—but the move smells like panic.

📊 EDO’s behavioral data flipped the script.
Those flashiest Upfront stages? All style, no substance. The networks that moved actual consumer behavior weren’t the ones with mascots or influencers—they were the ones churning out crime procedurals and low-gloss reality shows. If you’re still buying based on “buzz,” you’re bleeding budget.

📦 Amazon is monetizing your pause button.
While everyone debates the future of product placement, Amazon already made it shoppable. Every dramatic breath in Jack Ryan is now a potential checkout moment. This isn’t advertising. This is emotional e-commerce, powered by scene analysis and Prime data. And yes, it’s already generating billions.

🎧 Podcasts are the new pilot season.
The New Heights podcast just bagged a deal that would make a Netflix showrunner blush. And while your media plan is still fixated on impressions, brands are funneling real money into unskippable audio with 90% completion rates and built-in superfans.

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